1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of cat scratching posts and more specifically relates to a cat claw trimming and exercise device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Scratching may be a healthy, natural, and instinctual behavior for cats. Claws may be vital tools that are used by cats everyday for balancing and walking on a complete paw, communicating, scratching, grooming, catching and grasping toys, as well as raking and negotiating litter. Additionally, claws are a cat's main means of security, safety, and self-defense. Further claws may save the life of an indoor cat that accidentally gets out of the house and suddenly has to defend themselves outdoors or may have to hunt for food to survive.
Unfortunately, if indoor cats don't have appropriate places to satisfy their natural and healthy scratching tendencies, they may use furniture, doors, and/or walls, thereby ruining such objects. For the few cats that are more stubborn and a bit harder to train, there are potential solutions that work like covering their claws with soft paws or covering the furniture ends with sticky paws.
Another optional apparatus a cat owner may use to prevent their cat from damaging furniture, walls, and doors is to provide a scratching post(s). A scratching post is typically a wooden post covered in rough material that provides the pet with an acceptable place to scratch. Cats instinctively have a natural urge to scratch: the action helps them remove material from inside their claws, and to mark their ‘territory’ using scent glands in their paws. Unfortunately, indoor cats may also not receive adequate exercise, due to their confined living space. A need exists for a means to promote their healthy scratching action, and yet to reduce damage to a homeowner's belongings.
Traditional scratching posts may be ineffective as currently manufactured. Materials used to construct these posts may include carpet or honeycomb cardboard, which does not contribute in any way to the trimming of cats' claws. Additionally, claws on cats require on-going maintenance because the claws continuously grow throughout a cat's lifetime.
Various attempts have been made to solve the above-mentioned problems such as those found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,490,996, 5,564,365, 2,997,019, 2007/0089686, and 5,595,141. This prior art is representative of cat claw trimming. However, none of these patents provide multi-function scratching posts to permits a cat to physically exercise both its legs and trim its claws simultaneously. Furthermore, none of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the invention as claimed.
Ideally, a cat claw trimming and exercise device and system should permit a cat to both physically exercise its legs and trim its claws simultaneously and, yet operate efficiently and be manufactured at a modest expense. Further, the cat claw trimming and exercise device should be aesthetically pleasing, enticing to cats to use and be easy to operate. Thus, a need exists for a cat claw trimming and exercise device to avoid the above-mentioned problems.